ASU Is Reshaping Downtown Phoenix

The expansion of ASU to a brand new campus in downtown Phoenix has the potential to revitalize the city's moribund downtown.

1 minute read

July 13, 2004, 5:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"[T]he architects say the same thing: It's rare for anyone to have a chance to do something like this, to go into the stomach of a city and completely redesign it..."

Architects were asked to come up with concepts for the downtown campus, based on only a few simple requirements:

  • The campus must be within a five-minute walk of a light-rail stop.
  • The university's buildings must be designed for use by not just university folks but by the general public.
  • The campus itself must not feel walled off from the community; it needs to be a place that invites the community in to use it.

    Thanks to Chris Steins

  • Monday, July 12, 2004 in The Arizona Republic

    portrait of professional woman

    I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

    I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

    Mary G., Urban Planner

    Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

    Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

    Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

    A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

    June 18, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

    Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

    San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

    SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

    June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

    Woman and young girl looking at subway map, woman pointing.

    Can We Please Give Communities the Design They Deserve?

    Often an afterthought, graphic design impacts everything from how we navigate a city to how we feel about it. One designer argues: the people deserve better.

    June 9, 2025 - John Pobojewski

    Close-up of cracked and damaged two-lane roadway with double yellow stripes on a bright sunny day.

    Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?

    With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” framework.

    7 hours ago - Transportation for America

    Group of e-scooters messily parked on street in London with black cab in background.

    The European Cities That Love E-Scooters — And Those That Don’t

    Where they're working, where they're banned, and where they're just as annoying the tourists that use them.

    June 19 - Bloomberg CityLab

    Map of Western U.S. indicating public lands that would be for sale under a Senate plan in yellow and green.

    Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands

    For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

    June 19 - Outdoor Life